Is it ever okay to chill red wine?

• If you are drinking a lighter-bodied wine such as Beaujolais or Bordolino then you should chill them down to approximately 56 and 60 Degrees Fahrenheit (13 – 16 Degrees Celsius). 
• If your wine is above 65 (18 Degrees Celsius) then you should chill it to room temperature*, about 62 – 65 Degrees Fahrenheit (16 – 18 Degrees Celsius).  *In the wine world, room temperature is refers to room temperate of many years ago, which was 62-65 Degrees Fahrenheit (16 – 18 Degrees Celsius) -- It still is for some folks I know!
•  If you have opened a bottle and want to preserve the remaining amount.  If this is the case, the bottle must be properly sealed, and it can be stored in the fridge, but no longer than a couple of days.  Of course you need to take it out of the fridge and let it warm up prior to drinking it again.

That’s it.

Believe me, chilling a red wine too much can really ruin one’s enjoyment of the wine.

I remember one time, my wife and I were having dinner at my sister and brother-in-law’s house and they took this bottle of wine out of the fridge. 

It was a Cabernet Sauvignon.  It had been chilled in the fridge since its purchase.

I remember thinking how this wine was going to taste so terrible chilled.  I took my first sip of the wine and realized I was right. I felt so sad thinking about how good this wine probably was and how chilling it ensured that no one drinking this bottle of wine would ever know. 

It’s not hard to see that if people don’t know what temperature to serve wine, they’ll serve it at the wrong temperature, and they’ll never really be able to tell the good wines from the bad. The reason being: a cold red wine will taste very tight and bitter.

The point here is that you do not drink most reds below 65 Fahrenheit except the above mentioned two. 

Also, you don’t want to drink the wine too warm either.  If a bottle feels warm then just cool it down so that it feels cool to the touch.  Many people and restaurants actually serve their wines too warm.  

Today’s featured wine is my other favourite wine: Pinot Noir.

Pinot Noir is a wine made from the Pinot Noir grape which originates the Burgundy region of Eastern France.  In France red Burgundy is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes.  This grape dates back to the 14^th century and is believed to have existed in Burgundy since the 4^th century A.D.

Pinot Noir is medium to low in tannin, medium to high in acidity, is relatively high in alcohol, and its aromas do vary depending on the “terroir.”*  Certainly though Pinot is known for its fruity aromas of either red berries or black berries and also earthiness.

*Indeed a lengthy discussion in itself, but for this purpose, “terroir” refers to every aspect of an area where a wine is grown, for example, the type of soil, drainage, climate, the elevation and even the slope of the land and which way the vineyard faces in relation to the sun.  

Pinot Noir is a very difficult grape to grow well.  Some have said that even one vine can vary from the next if the ground in one vine slopes a little differently.  It’s also been said that when you get it (Pinot) right, it’s great.  Need I say more?

If you’ve never Pinot Noir, give it a try.